On Thursday, I received a last-minute mailer containing misleading information.

Here are the facts as we know them right now:

Voting for Boone Bridges will not save the name of Kelseyville, no matter how much he wants you to believe it.

The name change will be decided by the Board on Geographic Names, or BGN, a federal body, with input from its California counterpart. It is not an issue that the Lake County Board of Supervisors will decide. In fact, the Board of Supervisors will play a very limited or possibly no role in this decision.

The Board of Supervisors will be one of several organizations that the BGN asks to provide a recommendation on the name change. The process supervisors will use will be discussed at their March 12 meeting. Public comment will be heard. They may decline the request from the BGN to provide a recommendation, which has happened in previous similar name change situations. Alternatively, they could provide a recommendation to either change the name or not change it. All options are available to them.

This matter will be decided before the new Board of Supervisors is seated in January 2025. So current board members will be the ones providing input to the BGN. Candidates elected in 2024 will not be part of the recommendation sent to the BGN.

Bottom line: It is not an issue that the Lake County Board of Supervisors will decide.

Incumbent Supervisor Jessica Pyska has stated her position and has never wavered from it. She is the leader for all the residents in Lake County and will not weigh in on either side. “This decision needs to come out of the arguments of the people.” She continues to encourage everyone to provide their input. “Your voices need to be heard.”

You can see her thoughtful explanation in a video clip from the District 5 candidate forum held on Jan. 10, 2023: https://supervisorjessicapyska.com/videos.

I agree with her, true leaders do not make decisions that divide their community, pitting one side against the other. They represent the whole community, listening to all voices and encouraging dialogue. They will be there every step of the way — and ready to build back the community when ultimately a difficult decision is reached.

Jessica Pyska has supporters across the spectrum on this issue. We support her because we know she loves this community too much to ever consider dividing it — especially to win an election. We trust her to do what’s right for the community every single day, no matter how difficult.

Vote to re-elect Jessica Pyska, a true leader.

Val Nixon lives in Kelseyville, California.